BARRE, Vt. (WCAX) – The city of Barre is in danger of boiling water following a water main break late Thursday.

Authorities say a 12-inch pipe burst near the Northfield Savings Bank on South Main Street, gushing out 2,200 gallons of water per minute. This caused water to escape in about a third of Barre.

As a result, City Hall offices remained closed all Friday, and officials say the situation is still delicate due to the city’s aging infrastructure. “When a major failure occurs in the system, it puts a lot of stress on the pipes, and most of our infrastructure like this is close to 100 years old. These are old pipes and it doesn’t take much of a hammer to break them,” said Donnel Dexter from the council.

Residents can get clean water and fill containers at three locations, including Spaudling High School, the dirt lot at the auditorium and the Ayer’s Auto Sales parking lot.

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